Hello!
I am an upcoming high school student from a fairly competitive school in NYC. With a GPA of 90.65 and an SAT score of 1560, I also volunteer at my hospital, where I help run booths, interact with patients, and help nurses/clerks. I also volunteer as a tutor for peers at a prep center. For sports, I don’t play any myself, but I managed for my school’s girls’ table tennis and boys’ volleyball.
Disregarding the essays for now, would you guys say I stand a chance at an Ivy (maybe)?
The Ivy acceptance rates are very very low. Most reject 90% or so of applicants. You can’t get accepted if you don’t apply. So, sure try.
But at the same time, you need a well rounded list of schools on your application list that have varying degrees of competitiveness for admissions.
And I’ll ask the obvious question…why the Ivies?
Well, my parents would like it, and the prestige of the names of the schools themselves will probably help when I am applying for my first job (or so my parents insist). Also, a lot of them are in NY so that’s a plus.
Are you a rising senior? You stated that you are an upcoming HS student which initially made me think you were entering 9th grade, but then I saw you took the SAT.
You could certainly apply to Ivy League schools, but make sure you also apply to schools where acceptances are more likely.
OH yes I meant to put high school senior 
, and these are only reach schools; I have more likely colleges in my list as well, but I was just wondering if the time and effort (as well as money) put into Ivy applications could possibly pay off.
What future job?
There are plenty of colleges in NY that are not as competitive for admissions. If you would like some options, perhaps you should do a chance me thread and ask for them.
I would like to study to become a doctor; I will be applying to Stonybrook as well, which I’ve heard is also known for their medical programs but less difficult to get into, but if a doctor from Cornell and one from Stonybrook were competing for a single job, the doctor that studied from Cornell may be more likely to get a job simply due to where they went to school. Then again, all of this knowledge comes from what my parents have told me, but they seem to make logical sense.
What does this GPA translate to on a 4.0 scale? For example…Are As at your school 90% and above? 92% and above?
What is your approximate class rank with a 90.65 GPA? If your school doesn’t rank, you should still have a sense for where you are (and your HS GC does too)…e.g., top 10%, top 25%, at the median?
None of us can chance you for any school because we don’t have the context of your GPA, don’t know your course rigor (honors/APs/IB), whether you’ve taken at least four years of courses in the five core subject areas (Eng, Math, Sci, SS, foreign langauge), nor do we know the content of your essays and LoRs.
If your school uses Naviance or Scoir, use those scattergrams to categorize schools and assess chances. Your HS GC can help (if you a dedicated college counselor).
The information you are reporting on jobs, doctors and where they went to college (undergrad) is not true.
Stony Brook is a fine university for students with premed intentions.
I’m sorry to say, but this is a very low GPA for any highly selective college. Did you take many AP, IB or Honors classes?
You can apply, of course, but you’re definitely at a major disadvantage with your GPA. I will be blunt and say that barring exceptional essays and teacher recommendations, I can’t see it happening at all. Unless there is some compelling circumstance that helps explain your GPA?
First, this isn’t correct, but there also seems to be a misunderstanding on how studying to be a doctor works. First, you apply to undergrad which is what you are doing now. Then, after you finish undergrad you will be applying to med school. Applying to Stoneybrook for undergrad has nothing to do with where you will go to med school. After med school you get a residency. So there is a whole string of where you went and what you did in your future before you start to be a concerned about finding a job, as you put it. Where you go to undergrad won’t even register in the hiring decision.
A 90.65 roughly translates to a 3.6, I believe.
My school doesn’t do rank, and the grades of students, as well as the classes and amount of students there are, make it difficult to determine a class rank.
We are required to take four years of all Social Studies, Science, and English. I will be taking AP Mandarin next year, which will be my fourth year of foreign language, and AP Calc AB, which is my fourth year of math. I am currently still working on my Commonapp essay, and Naviance is a bit confusing, since there are students with worse stats than I who get into Ivies, but those with near perfect SATs and GPAs who get rejected.
This is what I have tried to tell my parents before, but they insist it’s an Ivy now or my life is ruined, so this puts some fear into my mind.
You do understand that to become a doctor you first have to complete 4 years of college? You then would go to medical school for another four years and a residency and possibly a fellowship after that? In terms of doctors applying for jobs after they finish training, the residency and or fellowship likely are more important than the medical school and the undergraduate school pretty much doesn’t matter. Medical schools care very little about where you did your undergrad. They care about your college GPA and MCAT score. Medical school is also very expensive.The usual advice is to go an undergraduate school that is both affordable and where you can get the highest grades.
Your GPA is low for an Ivy League school. Go ahead and apply if you want, but make sure you also include realistic options. These schools reject highly qualified students all the time.
Do not apply to these schools because you think they will somehow lead to getting a job as a doctor. That is simply not true.
My GPA is (I think) considered average~ at my school, maybe a point lower, due to the rigorous teaching methods and coursework at my school. I think my school is a bit on the harder end; most students complain about it. I’m not sure if this does anything, but all of my science classes were labelled “Honors”? I’m not sure if other schools have that too, but my middle school had that as a separate course.
Most, if not all, of the students with lower stats who get into highly rejective schools are likely hooked in some way…recruited athletes, first gen, limited income, etc. Your GC should be able to help you.
Gaining admission to highly rejective schools is going to be difficult with a 3.6 GPA. Do you have a test score?
If your GPA is around the 50%th percentile in your class and you are unhooked, admission to a highly rejective school is extremely unlikely. Please make sure you have a balanced list of schools, including at least one affordable safety.
Okay, I will, thank you 
Would going to a prestigious college for undergrad heighten the chances for acceptance into a prestigious med school?
Nope